A Library, Be-Ro, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
Dom over at Belleau Kitchen gave us July off from cooking (in his Random Recipes challenge), and instead, asked us all to take photos of our books, bookshelf or bookshelves and library……..a sort of Random “Show and Tell”! I was going to take a video of my cook book areas, and I MAY still do that, but as the month seems to rush away from me and time for posting is getting tight, I decided to share my photos now, as I DID take them about TWO weeks ago after all! I was excited to “show and tell” my cookbooks, and thought it was a GREAT challenge, but, I am also slightly embarrassed, as my cookbook area, or should I say areas, are scattered all over the house and are vast……it could be said, that I am a bit if a cookbook addict!
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
The problem of scattered books is further compounded by the fact that I have book collections in TWO countries too…..England and France! But, it my French library I am sharing today……..and, yes, I DO have wine boxes in my library…….PLEASE let me explain! I have a lot of cookbooks, and we (the “Royal We” as in my husband and I) also have many OTHER books too, as we are both avid readers…….so, yes, we DO have what can be called a library, although the room that holds most of our books is next to the kitchen and is called the “Den”! So, when my cookbook collection spilled off the book shelves, there was only one thing for it, USE wine boxes to store them in, and slot them under the bureau and bookcase for easy an easy “sliding out” action…..
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
And, I think they also add a certain rustic French charm, to the décor of the room too…….NOT all of the wine boxes as shown in the photos hold cookbooks, but I would say that about SIX of them do! The rest of my books are housed in a more conventional manner – on bookcases, although, I always seem to have a stray stash of books by my laptop in the office, as well as next to my bed, and on the kitchen table…..oh, yes, and on a chair too…….and I also have my precious Be-Ro cookbooks collection IN a folder and IN a drawer!
My Be-Ro Cookbook Collection through the decades….
My kitchen also has several handy book shelves built in to the units, so the vast amount of my books are kept on the shelves next to pots and pans………
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
……as well as the tea towels and “under sink” cupboard or “glory hole” of cleaning aids and brillo pads…….
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
…….and then there is a VERY old bookcase in the “Den”…..well, as nearly as old as me, as it was MY very own bookcase that I had in my bedroom when I was a little girl and came from Hong Kong, where I lived until I was in my teens; instead of Malcolm Saville and Silver Brumby books that I used to have on it, I now have all of my bigger hard back cookbooks…..
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
….and then there is the ONE shelf I am allowed in the “educational and entertainment” section of a bookcase that is also in the “Den”……..
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
…..over towards the window, and underneath a coffee table, there are TWO more wine boxes full of books, and magazines……….
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
….and then there is a “stash” of books in the Breakfast Room…..mainly BIG books, that cover Spain, France and Europe……
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
……leaving the breakfast room and passing by my office area (a small table in the entrance hall!), there is a random pile next to my laptop as well as a sliver of VERY old books in a bookcase next to my desk…….
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
……have I finished yet, I can sense you thinking or saying, well NOT quite, there is STILL the pile I ALWAYS have on the kitchen table of course, and I didn’t bother to take photos of the ones on a chair and also the SMALL pile on my bedside table, and then there’s the ones in England too………do I have a cookbook problem? PROBABLY! But, I can assure you that for every cookbook I own, there will be at least four to five other NON cooking books to match it……we are proper old-fashioned book worms!
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
My books are spread over at least five rooms, and here to out it all in perspective, are three of the rooms – the breakfast room, the kitchen and the Den….
The Breakfast Room
The Kitchen
The “Den” and Library
So that’s it! The tour is over and you are all now acquainted with my obsession about books…..I’ll leave you with ONE more pile of books, another photo that I just found, and say a cheery goodbye……see you later, and have a great weekend. Karen
A Library, Some Wine Boxes and My Cook Book Collection……
I love, love, love your kitchen!!!
THANKS Jaime! 🙂 Karen
Brilliant Karen! I love it – and I don’t feel so bad about my collection now 😉 x
AHA! See, you are NOT as bad as you thought you were! 🙂 Karen
Just loved your blog, are you still doing your Sepia Saturday
Thank you Audriana, I stopped it a while ago, but I may start it up again! Karen
This is just what I expected and visualised in my minds eye I knew it would be vast and it is!
(am VERY envious of the Be Ro collection though – that is to be cherished)
Lovely insight and explains a lot about your amazing knowledge of food etc. x
Thanks Susan! MY collection has just grown over the years and although I often give books away to friends and family who are here, I still seem to acquire more and more! I agree about my Be-Ro collection and I DO cherish it very much, as well as use the books frequently too. 🙂 Karen
Every time I think my collection is growing too fast I’ll have to come back and look at this post and remind myself that I really don’t have that many cookbooks yet and I’m allowed to buy more!
You are ALWAYS allowed to buy more Jen! 🙂 Thanks, Karen
Hee hee – I am so going to use this post to show my husband that I really don’t have too many cookbooks! Love your place.
Thanks Lou – let me know what he says! 🙂 Karen
That’s an excellent collection – I’m jealous. I’m so grateful that you have so many cookbooks. I’ve shown your pictures to my wife and she now accepts that my collection is not TOO big (at least in comparison to yours). I love the idea of putting the overspill into wine boxes. I did have a few wine boxes lying around, but I’ve filled them with compost and planted them with lettuce this year.
Thanks Phil; I have used wine boxes as planters before, and I also have some in the pantry for vegetables and fruit, but I must admit to loving the expressions on my friend’s faces when they see them all tucked under the bureau….and I then pull them out to select a book!
I am absolutely PIG SICK with jealousy over your beautiful kitchen… I KNEW there was good reason to hate you Karen Burns Booth!… you come along here with your lah-de-dah fabulousness and your incredible home and envious cookbook collection being all lovey-dovey and just EXPECT us to NOT fall in love with you… of all the selfish, horrid, mean things to do… oh wait… I think i’ve got carried away… i’m coming back with you in September if only to steal a few of those books! – HATE you KBB!! xxx
🙂 🙂 BUT, you have such a FABULOUS kitchen too Dom, and you won that CLOCK that I wanted!! Remember? You are welcome to come any time! Karen xxxx
I could spend hours upon hours reading through your cookbooks!!! And I mean hours upon hours!!! LOL
Just bring me food and drink and directions to the potty room!!! I’ll just doze off in one of the chairs when I get weary!!!
That is quite a collection!!!! Love the rooms and the coziness of your cheery home!!!
Thanks so much….I DO read for hours and hours I must admit, probably more so in the winter, but there is always a non cook book and a cookbook on the go at any time of the year! 🙂
What a lot of books you have! No wonder you need to kitchens.
That is a GREAT way to look at things! LOL! Karen
Sorry that was meant to be TWO kitchens
I THOUGHT that’s what you meant! 🙂
Fascinating. I wonder, if you were on a desert island and could only take 1 book which would it be? Let’s pretend there’s a fully functional kitchen on this island!
I have often thought about that Camilla, and it would be quite easy, I would take my oldest Be-Ro cookbook – the one that belonged to my grandma and then my mum! Karen
My goodness Karen, that is definitely a library worth of books, even if they are scattered around the house and continent 😉 Very impressive, would love to come over and spend a week or month browsing through your collection.
You are, as I hope you know, always welcome to stay here when I am here! 🙂 Thanks Choclette! Karen
Thought I had already left a comment. My memory is shocking. I love your house Karen. Although it is big you make it cosy with lots of lovely fabrics and books. 5 stars 🙂
what a lovely home!! such a lovely tour and I simly love, love, LOVE your cookbook collection!!
Mary x
You win! That post should have started ” my name is Karen and I am a cook book addict” Fab collection of books, esp the Bero books 😉
Oh Karen, what a fabulous collection of cookbooks, I am deeply envious. And your teapots, please do a post on them, they look spectacular!
I love your collection of books! Do you always keep your library shelves tidy? I have books everywhere, and the shelves are very messy. Lovely kitchen.
Karen, I am lost for words. How do you ever find anything?! I think you need a dedicated librarian/archivist to help, and I’m volunteering for the job. You don’t need to pay me, just put me up and feed me. Oh, and I come complete with a small helper who is very good at pulling books from shelves. Whaddya say?
(Beautiful house, truly lovely. Can we see your English one next? Please?) x
I love the interior peeks into your home, Karen, and I’m so glad you shared all these cookbooks with us. I love Dom’s challenge for this month and what a collection you have!
Thanks JW…..I have also LOVED peeping into lots of my blogger friend’s homes too!
Blooming heck, Karen, for a minute I thought you website had caught the stummering pictures virus, you know the one where by pictures are endlessy copied again and again but no. Wow, you are sure it is your home and not a library 🙂
I know Solange, it is sad isn’t it! LOL! It is a bit of a library yes…..:-)
What a fabulously HUGE collection. Hasn’t this been a great challenge this month? Getting the opportunity of seeing everyone’s collection of books, I’m sure you’ve won handsdown for the largest collection of them all.
LOL! In know Jennifer, it’s a bit embarrassing really! I have LOVED Dom’s Challenge this month too…..Karen
What a fantastic collection of books, I am absolutely green with envy. So well organiseid too. I have one solitary little BeRo book, but it is the one I used when I was a little girl cooking for the first time with my Mum and is so precious. They are brilliant little books.
Sue xx
ONE little Be-Ro book is worth MANY MANY other books, I LOVE mine!
Wow, that is an impressive collection. How many cookbooks do you have? Lovely pictures x
Now that we’ve seen the French collection from L&L, how about the English collection Karen?
OKAY Jack, you are ON! Next time I am home in England, I will show and tell!